Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway

A hundred years ago, high on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, stood a grand lodge with a breathtaking view. For 33 years, elegantly dressed men and women came to visit on the gritty steam trains of a famous twisting railroad known affectionately as the Crookedest Railroad in the World. They could dine, dance, and spend the night, and in the morning coast down the mountain in a gravity car. The Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway had 281 curves in 8 1/5 miles. It had a branch into Muir Woods. It was built by business-minded conservationists in seven months in 1896 and climbed from a depot on the dirt streets of Mill Valley through a redwood forest and on to the rocky summit one-half mile above San Francisco Bay.

About the author

Employees of the railroad called it "the best job we ever had," and these vintage photographs show why. Railroad historian Fred Runner shows the hardworking men of the railroad, which carried everyone from John Muir to Susan B. Anthony up the mountain. Runner's 20 years of research and passion for the railroad bring the era of steam on the mountain back to life. All aboard!

Product details

• Authors: Fred Runner
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC)
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2009
• EAN: 9780738559421
• ISBN: 978-0-7385-5942-1
• No. of pages: 128
• Dimensions: 166 mm x 235 mm x 10 mm
• Weight: 390 g
• Series: Images of America (Arcadia Pub; Images of America (Arcadia Pub; Images of Rail
• Subject: Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous